UP FOR SALE IS A GENUINE PAIR OF SIGNED “WINDSOR” EYEGLASSES, CIRCA 1889 AND WELL OVER 125 YEARS OLD, YET STILL IN HONEST, TRUE “EXCELLENT CONDITION”!! ABSOLUTELY NO DIRT, NO GRIME, NO TARNISH OR CORROSION AT ALL… 100% READY FOR YOUR LENSES. COMES WITH PRISTINE, BLACK COLORED HARD SHELL STEEL CASE IN NEAR MINT / UNUSED / NEW OLD STOCK CONDITION WITH GORGEOUS ROYAL BLUE COLORED VELVET INTERIOR. COMES WITH TWO, ULTRA SOFT, SILICONE TEMPLE COVERS THAT ARE ALSO UNUSED. PLUS, THEY COME WITH THE ORIGINAL, INTERCHANGEABLE, ZYLONITE RIM COVERS. FRAMES WILL COME WITHOUT THE ZYLO RINGS INSTALLED BUT THEY’RE QUITE SIMPLE TO INSTALL. THE FRAMES HAVE A VERY “NEW LOOK” TO THEM.. John Lennon of the Beatles owned several pairs of these awesome, iconic eyeglasses. There is prescription lenses in these of strong near sighted strength. They are 100% ready to accept your prescription or non prescription lenses. You wanted the best and now you’ve found THE ABSOLUTE VERY BEST!! 100% ready for your new lenses!! The back of the bridge is signed / stamped with the American Optical logo of the era, is actually signed “WINDSOR” and hallmarked for gold content with the 3/4 rectangle with tiny “o” in the center. Make no mistakes folks, these are 100% authentic. Manufacturing Windsor frames ended in the year 1910. These are sometimes referred to as “Patented Windsor Eyeglasses”. Please keep in mind, patents do not determine the exact age of any given item and in this case, the frames were manufactured much earlier, as the patent was not granted until the year 1922, way after production of these Windsor eyeglass frames ceased. These eyeglasses were made in the year 1889. The frames measure 4 5/8 inches from hinged edge to hinged edge. The rims are 40MM, considered perfectly round and exactly the same as John Lennon wore. Note that the Zylonite rim rings that come with these frames, are interchangeable but will not be installed but will come with the frames and is very easy to snap into place on the rims of the frames. You just line up the slot to the bridge and they snap right into place. The vast majority of buyers today, prefer to wear them without the Zylo covers… The bridge is set at 22MM. The original, cabled temple stems are 6.5 inches in total length and will fit most medium to large adult Men or Women. Drop one of those tiny screws and they’re gone forever and not easy to replace unless you know someone like me. Keep my contact information!! My labor is 100% FREE. To do so would be quite ludicrous, as to be in actual mint condition, they would have to be encapsulated like a coin and untouched by any hands ever. The ONLY way to describe these frames is in “Honest, True, Excellent Condition” despite the fact they are well over 125 years old and very ANTIQUE. The Metal and some History. The frames are made of 1/10th yellow gold filled. Gold filled is a heavy bonding of solid gold and in this case over brass. The 1/10th means that the total weight of the gold used to make these must weigh at least 10% of the entire weight of the metal. Many folks have found that these often produce much more gold, in scrap, than what is reported or stamped on the back because the gold was applied by hand in ribbon style form, much the same way thread is spooled onto the eyes of a fishing pole. I’ve seen yields of gold over 15%. They were manufactured in the year 1889. 1889, was the very first year they were signed / stamped on the back with the word WINDSOR. The exact position of where the bridge arms attach to the rims also determines the year of manufacturing. You think I’ve done enough research? No one, on this planet, has researched these iconic frames any more than myself. Please read on and learn.. American Optical had its highest production years in 1880, 1885, 1889, 1905 and 1909. It took 27, different skilled craftsmen to make them. In the photos of John Lennon above, John was actually wearing Windsor frames with the Convex style saddle bridge. Be advised, John Lennon wore both styles, including the concave variety, and either of them are considered authentic to John Lennon. The Fame and additional History. According to Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, John Lennon owned over 40 pairs of gold, wire rimmed eyeglasses. These frames were also worn and made famous by Teddy Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Ghandi, Groucho Marks and even David Letterman, Whoopee Goldberg, Sting and Ozzy Osbourne wear these same frames, along with a slew of other famous rock musicians. Everyone felt John Lennon was trying to make a fashion statement, when he first started wearing gold wire rimmed eyeglasses, late in the year 1966 but the truth is, “he fancied the way the curled, cabled stems wrap around his face” and would not fall off or even shift. He was “truly hooked”. They’re highly sought after by both avid Beatles collectors and antique eyeglass dealers, musicians, motorcycle and horse riders. I love them for fishing and picking weeds in the garden. When they are as exquisite as these, they can command a much higher value as well. They’re absolutely gorgeous!! It doesn’t get much better than this folks. These eyeglass frames will not need to be polished for a very long time and typical cleaning will stave the shine. With my used frames, that still contain lenses, the lenses are removed to completely to clean and polish the bezels, which is vital to obtain a solid fit when installing new lenses. No dirt, no grime, no tarnish, no corrosion anywhere on this pair of truly antique beautiful spectacles. They also tend to make heads turn and I’m often asked about them when I’m wearing mine. They’re awesome folks and look great on both female or male adults and children alike and are also the exact same used in the Harry Potter trilogies, however the rims on Harry’s, were covered with an era specific, special plastic called “Zylonite” or just plain “Zylo”. These eyeglasses come with a very handsome, steel / hard antique eyeglass case, that’s “Era Specific” and is in NEAR MINT UNUSED CONDITION. Definitely New Old Stock… Black colored on the exterior with gorgeous royal blue velvet colored interior… The eyeglass frames and case were STORED PROPERLY over the many years and came from a lady in West Virginia, who is a retired optician and who’s father, grandfather and great grandfather were also opticians. Four generations of opticians and these were part of her great grandfather’s collection. A truly brand new case, Branded / signed on the back with the A. USA logo and finding one still new is almost unheard of A truly sweet deal indeed! These frames are more popular than ever… I’m talking about THE REAL THING. Even those that have John Lennon’s name engraved or embossed on them are not authentic and quite inferior to these. I’m still pinching myself.. I’m happy to present to you, a genuine pair of American Optical manufactured and signed WINDSOR eyeglass frames in TRUE EXCELLENT CONDITION with a new, yet very old signed American Optical case that’s truly in Near Mint Condition.. The item “BEATLES JOHN LENNON ANTIQUE VINTAGE GENUINE SIGNED WINDSOR EYEGLASSES XLNT COND” is in sale since Thursday, September 12, 2019. This item is in the category “Clothing, Shoes & Accessories\Vintage\Vintage Accessories\Eyeglasses”. The seller is “asylumrockmusic” and is located in Spokane, Washington. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Gender: Adult Unisex
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Style: ROUND “STEAMPUNK”
- Temple Length: 6.5 INCHES
- Look: STEAMPUNK ( PERFECTLY ROUND )
- Decade: CIRCA 1889
- Original/Reproduction: ORIGINAL ( 100% GUARANTEED REAL )
- FRAME WIDTH: 4 5/8 INCHES
- Type: GENUINE WINDSOR EYEGLASS FRAMES
- RIM SIZE ( ALSO REFERRED TO AS LENS ): 40MM RIMS / 39.5MM LENSES
- SIZE: MEDIUM TO LARGE
- Marks / Stampings: A.O. LOGO W/ “WINDSOR” & HALLMARK FOR GOLD CONTENT
- ERA: CIRCA 1889 AND WELL OVER 125 YEARS OLD
- MPN: N/A
- CONDITION: TRUE EXCELLENT CONDITION
- Frame Material: 1/1OTH – 12K YELLOW GOLD FILLED
- Occasion: Everyday
- Brand: AMERICAN OPTICAL
- Frame Color: YELLOW GOLD
